FAQ1110

Applies To These Products

Question

What are the differences between the PTC Series Temperature Controllers and the MPT Series Temperature Controllers?

Answer

List of improvements of the PTC Series Temperature Controllers compared with the MPT Series Temperature Controllers

Increased stability “off ambient” of 0.0012°C with the PTC versus 0.005°C with the MPT Temperature Controller.

The PTC adds a remote, on-board disable/enable control for the output current.

The PTC Series Controllers are designed for master/slave configurations for up to 20 Amps of output current to the TEC or resistive heater.

Failsafe set point default available on the PTC. If the DAQ input voltage goes to zero Volts, the PTC circuit will switch in a default set point voltage of 1 V (~25°C) in order to avoid TEC damage or unexpected extreme set points. This default can also be customized to fit the requirements of the application.

Proportional Gain (PGain) measurement has an easy access (cover on), and now has a gain scale adjustment for reference on the PTC Controller. To check PGain settings on the MPT Series Controllers remove the chassis lid to measure the resistance between test points on the PCB board.

The physical package size of the PTC10K-CH is approximately half the size of the MPT10000.

The new style of terminal strip and connector on the PTC require less space for the cable harness.

Set point vs actual temperature accuracy on the PTC controller is improved to better than 1 mV.

The PTC operating temperature range is widened to a range of -40 to +85°C. The MPT operating temperature range is from 0 to +50°C.

There is an expanded sensor voltage range on the PTC versus the MPT. The PTC sensor voltage range is about 3.5 V with a 5 V supply and on the MPT the sensor voltage range is 2.5 V with a 5 V supply.

The PTC is slightly more efficient than the MPT. The PTC10K-CH drops a maximum of 4.5 V internally at maximum output current. The MPT10000 drops between 5 and 6 V at maximum current output.

The PTC incorporates a new, proprietary PID circuitry for improved control with large loads that tend to exhibit large thermal delays.

The PTC includes an easy to configure temperature range limit. This provides added protection against extreme high/low set point errors.